The Special Fund for Emergency and Rehabilitation Activities (SFERA) enables the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) to take rapid and effective action in response to food and agricultural threats and emergencies.

The Fund has three components:

(i) a working capital component to advance funds once a resource partner's commitment is secured toward the immediate procurement of inputs to protect livelihoods, restart agricultural activities or contribute to an immediate response to a crisis;

The GHO published on 4 December 2018 announced funding requirements of $21.9 billion for 21 Humanitarian Response Plans and the Venezuela Regional Refugee and Migrant Response Plan (RMRP). With the inclusion of the Zimbabwe Flash Appeal last month, funding requirements for UN-led appeals as at end February amounted to $22.42 billion.

Of 138.8 million people estimated to be in need of assistance, the humanitarian response plans envisage assisting 103.7 million.

A new Results Report takes stock of how a US$439 million humanitarian investment from more than 50 donors delivered life-saving assistance to over 22 million people facing the consequences of natural disasters and conflict around the world.

The FAO portal to monitor Water Productivity through Open access of Remotely sensed derived data (WaPOR) monitors and reports on agriculture water productivity over Africa and the Near East.

It provides open access to the water productivity database and its thousands of underlying map layers, it allows for direct data queries, time series analyses, area statistics and data download of key variables associated to water and land productivity assessments.

The Global Early Warning – Early Action (EWEA) report on food security and agriculture is developed by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). The report is part of FAO’s EWEA system, which aims to translate forecasts and early warnings into anticipatory action.
EWEA enables FAO to act early before disasters have happened and to mitigate or even prevent their impact. By lessening damages to livelihoods and protecting assets and investments, FAO can help local livelihoods become more resilient to threats and crises.

Hunger is not inevitable As 2016 comes to an end, almost 130-million people are in need of humanitarian assistance. Throughout the year, natural hazards, conflict and protracted crises have placed a particularly heavy burden on the poor, who are often extremely vulnerable to shocks. Across 22-affected areas, 70-million people are currently in Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) Phase 3 or above.

Yemen: 14.4 million people are now food insecure: two million more than in June and four million more than before the escalation of conflict in March. 7.6 million people are severely food insecure. Heavy fighting continues, in particular in Al Dhalee and Taizz governorates. Peace talks between Houthi and government representatives, which were expected to begin mid-November, are yet to take place.

Bangladesh: 1.5 million people are affected by flooding, which has displaced around 320,000 people in the areas of Cox's Bazar, Chittagong, and Bandarban. Shelter, WASH and food security are key priorities. 15 out 24 rivers are over danger levels as heavy rainfall continues.

Libya: An estimated 2,244 people have died this year as a result of conflict, and nearly one-third of the country’s population is affected. Humanitarian access remains severely restricted.

Afghanistan: The number of severely food insecure has risen to 1.5 million people, according to a new assessment. 7.3 million people are moderately food insecure. Food security among IDPs is worsening, with around 200,000 people reported to be in need of immediate assistance.

Yemen: The health system in Taizz governorate is close to collapse. All public hospitals have closed, and the remaining health facilities are overwhelmed by severely injured people as well as a dengue outbreak. Access remains severely restricted across the country. Hudaydah port, the main entry point for humanitarian supplies in north and central Yemen, remains closed, and road transport from Aden port to northern governorates remains limited.

Papua New Guinea: 1.8 million people have been affected by prolonged dry spell and frost in the Highlands region; 1.3 million are reported to be most at risk. Crops have been destroyed, and several chools and health facilities have been closed due to water shortages. The affected population is reported to be resorting to less reliable sources of drinking water.

Haiti: Insecurity has increased since legislative elections. Violence and intimidation were reported at many polling stations and a second round of voting is planned, following low voter turnout. Food security has deteriorated as a result of prolonged drought conditions since the beginning of 2015: poor households in Sud, Sud-Est, Nord-Est and Artibonite will remain in Crisis (IPC Phase 3) food security outcomes through December. Recent cholera rates are triple those of the comparable time period in 2014.

Yemen: The humanitarian situation in Yemen continues to deteriorate. 1.4 million people have become displaced since conflict escalated in March – a 12% increase since early July. Fuel shortages and access issues continue to affect provision of health services. 23% of Yemen’s health facilities are either partially funtional or non-functional.

Burkina Faso: Heavy floods in Ouagadougou, Kadiogo province, and Bobo-Dioulasso, Houet province, in early August affected around 19,780 people. Significant damage to houses and food stocks were reported. Additional flooding in the north could bring the total number of affected to 122,000. More than 1.5 million people are facing Stressed or Crisis food security outcomes in Burkina Faso, especially in the Sahel region in the north.

Pakistan: Flooding has killed 118 people and affected more than 800,000 people in Pakistan. Hundreds of villages have been inundated. Most casualties were recorded in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab, and Azad Jammu & Kashmir.

Myanmar : 46 people have been killed and 156,000–216,000 people are affected by flooding. Sagaing region and Kachin and Shan states have been particularly impacted. Another 350,000 people are estimated affected in Bangladesh and India.